In a groundbreaking development, Indian Trademark
authorities, for the first time, have registered a sound mark in
India.
The distinctive yodel of the US internet services company, Yahoo
Inc., became the first sound mark to get a certificate of
registration from the Trade Marks Registry at New Delhi.
A sound mark is a non-conventional trademark where a particular
sound does the function of uniquely identifying the commercial
origin of a product or a service unlike the other traditional form
of trademarks that include words, signatures, names, devices,
labels, numerals, acronyms, logos etc. In the case of sound marks,
a certain sound is associated with a company or its product or
services - much like the famous example being the MGM's roar of
a lion. As media reports suggest, several other companies are now
queuing up at the Trade Mark Registry in different parts of the
country to get their sound marks registered.
